In his regular Wednesday column Inter fanatic Sam Olsen will be delving deep into the stories that matter to Inter’s fans looking to keep the spirit of discussion and dispute alive and well on the pages of Sempreinter.com. New Zealander Sam has published several books on military history as well as contributing to a number of sport and news related websites. His love for Inter began in 1997 watching Ronaldo waltz through confused defences in the famous blue and black, and he has enjoyed the roller coaster ride ever since. His favourite moment was watching the team lift the Coppa Italia in 04-05 with Mancini, breaking the long domestic trophy drought, while his favourite player is Javier Zanetti, the great one, who encompasses everything good and right about the club.
No one says the life of the football manager is easy. After battling your way up from the lower reaches, coaching kids and amateurs you finally get your break and potentially a small pay check coaching a semi professional side. Eventually, if you keep at it, you might graduate to a professional team and make a living yourself and a select few will make it too the big time coaching a team that people actually watch on TV. All along the way you are subjected to abuse from parents, supporters, players and eventually media. You can only take it on the chin, back yourself and keep on working. Once you do achieve success, you never know how long it will last for, maybe you will be a flash in the pan, get a chance at a big team, fail and end up managing some small club in the lower leagues; or maybe you will actually succeed in the pressure cooker and survive to have a flourishing career. There is only one certainty however, you like your players, will only be as good as your last game. And so Walter Mazzarri finds as he pushes his team onto consecutive wins with a solid 0-2 over Parma giving him a little break from the incessant conjecture about his future. It was a win of vital importance considering Parma’s position right behind Inter on the table and opens up a five point gap for Inter to their rivals in the race for the Europa League spot.
Mazzarri has found himself fighting barbs from every corner over the past few months as his team succumbed to a series of poor results, the decent start to the season collapsing like a Middle East peace agreement in a series of woeful performances and his own star shining just a little less in the incessant heat. The season actually has had an uncanny parallel to last season where Inter also appeared to be challengers before fading after a number of poor performances and an injury crisis, sparking the end of Andrea Stramaccioni’s whose fledgling career at the Nerazzurri did not withstand the pressure.
Stramaccioni stood accused of not having giving his team an identity or tactical blueprint which inevitably left them confused and unsure on the pitch. This was immediately blamed on his youth, inexperience and the pressure of leading a top team and it almost seemed like Moratti was doing him a favour by cutting him loose and giving him the chance to get away from it all. But what about Mazzarri, the veteran? Has he improved on this? Given the team a clear tactical blueprint and the confidence to go out and play? Is he the man to lead Inter on this new project to take the team forward next season?
On the evidence of the last few games I would answer with a resounding no. I watch a team who seemingly has a clear tactical plan, one revolving around a three man defence, with flying fullbacks and a central core that is supposed to dictate the game by spraying passes out to the wings. But I don’t see it working. There is no control. No domination of the game by Inter. It is as if we are rolling the dice in every game and hoping that our number come up, like some homeless gambler putting his savings on red or black. We are not controlling the pace of the game and we do not seem capable to shutting down the opponent’s space properly to limit their chances. I understand that Mazzarri has his favoured tactical system and he believes in it but I wonder whether the team has the players who are suited to this system. I used to criticize Benetiz because he arrived at a club who were perhaps the world’s best at counter attacking football. Instead of taking this and gradually adapting it over time, he announced we would play more attractive free flowing football based on possession, a system that none of the players characteristics were suited to, and watched as the goals dried up and the team’s form went down. Mazzarri is guilty of the same crime. He has not been able to adapt his system to his player’s strengths, rather trying to adapt his players to the system, like putting square pegs in round holes. Many would argue that these men are professional and should be able to adapt but when you are playing at this level forcing a player to play a style that is not his natural game reduces their performance and therefore effectiveness, just look at Torres at Chelsea.
Aside from tactical inflexibility and lack of control during matches, I also have concerns over the mental preparation these players have been given. Mazzarri seems unable to motivate his players to higher performance levels. Mourinho’s and even Mancini’s Inter teams never gave up, they expected to win and if they went ahead it was almost an impossible job to come back. I just don’t see that anymore. I watched Inter go ahead in these last two games, both times only after being baled out by miraculous Handanovic saves and red cards to the opposition. It is as if after going ahead the team just panic like teenage boys talking to a girl they like for the first time. Instead of pushing on and either controlling the game and limiting opposition chances like they would have done under Mourinho, or just pushing hard for a second goal; they collapse into a state of disarray and seemingly do their best to gift wrap a goal in beautifully coloured paper as a present to the opposition. And let there be no mistake. The two clean sheets we have kept in the last two games are not representative of great defence and domination, but rather a lot of luck and incredible goalkeeping. Watching the team go ahead it appears as if they are so shocked by the turn of events that they have no real idea about what they are supposed to do next, you can almost see the panic come across all but Handanovic in goal. In this confused state they simply run around like a bunch of playstation players controlled by infants, hoping that something happens. It is up to Mazzarri to instil this belief into his players, to get them to believe they will win every game. I just don’t see that.
Then there is the start of the new era under Thorir. I just wonder whether Mazzarri is the one I want starting this new era, he feels too old Inter. I would love to see a progressive manager who knows how he wants to play, wants young energetic hardworking players and has a vision for Inter as a club. Mazzarri, you feel would be content bringing in some more tired older, proven players who collect a nice wage and do what they need to do to keep everyone happy.
I actually see a lot of similarities between Mazzarri and Benetiz, as both are supremely arrogant men, both blame others for their problems and both refuse to accept to be flexible with their methods. The next few years will be pivotal for Inter as it comes to terms with the regulations of financial fair play, the loss of the champions of 2010 and the arrival of a new owner. The choice of who will take the team forward with all these changes taking place will be vital as to whether the team can get back challenging for titles or for Europa League positions. For me, Walter Mazzarri is not the man. I just cannot see any real growth or development within the squad or the players. I do not see a man who has injected any real enthusiasm or joy into this team, who has given them the confidence to go out and be the best like say Simeone has done at Athletico, or Brendon Rogers at Liverpool. Inter need someone like this. A manager who can take us to the next level, who encourages young players to take chances and makes the senior guys remember why they started playing football in the first place.
Who would you like to see at the helm of the club next season?
Has Mazzarri done enough to keep the reigns or do we need change?